Upcoming Changes to Approval Workflow

We're excited about some big changes coming to the approval workflow. Click here to get the inside scoop.

Written by Allan Duquette Updated over a week ago

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be making some changes to our approval workflow. This initiative is made from the ground up for you to be confident in your content.

What was it like before?

The approvals process is currently tied to the proposal. If a user with a role requiring approvals is the lead on a proposal, the send button changes to request approval:

From there, they'd select from a list of users who should get the approval request email.

This worked well, but could be bypassed in some cases, either leaving a client in a lurch

What changes are coming?

The approvals process will be tied to a user's login rather than the proposal lead. If you need approval before sending proposals, every draft proposal will need approval. Not just the ones assigned to you. If you do not need approval before sending a proposal, you can send any draft proposal as you normally would. There is one exception, though:

Any proposal in awaiting approval will need an approval or rejection logged before it can be sent. This includes users who can send without approval. This helps remove suspicious gaps between “requested approval” and “sent” in audit trails. This also gives team leads more transparency over who gave a proposal the green light.

We’ll be removing all proposal link buttons in certain scenarios. If you need approval for a proposal, there will be no link buttons to send to your prospect until it is approved. If you can send a proposal without approval, we'll hide the links when a proposal is in awaiting approval.

Finally, we’re adding an “or” toggle to the select approving role option in the Roles Settings page. This will let you choose a secondary role for your user to notify when something needs approval. No more leaving a sales rep in a lurch when a manager goes on vacation.

PDF downloads will still be available. You’ll have the option now to include a “Draft” watermark, though. If you need approval, this watermark appears on every proposal PDF in a state before approved. If you don't need approval, the watermark will appear on any proposal in awaiting approval.

What do I need to do?

Some accounts saw the loopholes in the approval process as a useful workaround. Since we’re closing these loopholes, that workaround will soon no longer exist. If you’re one of these accounts, Please reach out to our support team. They’re experts in our approvals process and are here to help you find an ideal solution.

This is the first big step to an even bigger change to our approval process coming soon. Keep an eye on our release notes page to see when the next big change is hitting your account.